Three RiversHudson~Mohawk~SchoharieHistory From America's Most Famous Valleys

American Prisoners of The Revolution

BY DANSKE DANDRIDGE

CHAPTER XXVI
THE EXPERIENCE OF EBENEZER FOX

Ebenezer Fox,
a prisoner on board the Jersey, wrote a little book about his dreadful experiences
when he was a very old man. The book was written in 1838, and published by
Charles Fox in Boston in 1848. Ebenezer Fox was born in the East Parish of
Roxbury, Mass., in 1763. In the spring of 1775 he and another boy named Kelly
ran away to sea. Fox shipped as a cabin boy in a vessel commanded by Captain
Joseph Manchester

. He made several cruises and returned home. In 1779 he
enlisted, going as a substitute for the barber to whom he was apprenticed.
His company was commanded by Captain William Bird of Boston in a regiment
under Colonel Proctor. Afterwards he signed ship's papers and entered the
naval service on a twenty gun ship called the Protector, Captain John F.
Williams of Massachusetts. On the lst of April, 1780, they sailed for a six
months cruise, and on the ninth of June, 1780, fought the Admiral Duff until
she took fire and blew up. A short time afterwards the Protector was captured
by two English ships called the Roebuck and Mayday.

Fox concealed fifteen
dollars in the crown of his hat, and fifteen more in the soles of his shoes.

All the prisoners were sent into the hold. One third of
the crew of the Protector were pressed into the British service. The others
were sent to the Jersey. Evidently this prison ship had already become notorious,
for Fox writes: "The
idea of being incarcerated in this floating pandemonium filled us with horror,
but the ideas we had formed of its horror fell far short of the reality.
* * * The Jersey was removed from the East River, and moored with chain cables
at the Wallabout in consequence of the fears entertained that the sickness
which prevailed among the prisoners might spread to the shore. * * * I now
found myself in a loathsome prison, among a collection of the most wretched
and disgusting looking objects that I ever beheld in human form.

"Here
was a motley crew, covered with rags and filth; visages pallid with disease;
emaciated with hunger and anxiety; and hardly retaining a trace of their
original appearance. Here were men, who had once enjoyed life while riding
over the mountain wave or roaming through pleasant fields, full of health
and vigor, now shrivelled by a scanty and unwholesome diet, ghastly with
inhaling an impure atmosphere, exposed to contagion; in contact with disease,
and surrounded with the horrors of sickness, and death. Here, thought I,
must I linger out the morning of my life" (he was seventeen) "in tedious
days and sleepless nights, enduring a weary and degrading captivity, till
death should terminate my sufferings, and no friend will know of my departure.

"A
prisoner on board the 'Old Jersey!' The very thought was appalling. I could
hardly realize my situation.

"The first thing we found it necessary to
do after our capture was to form ourselves into small parties called messes,
consisting of six in each, as previous to doing this, we could obtain no
food. All the prisoners were obliged to fast on the first day of their arrival,
and seldom on the second could they obtain any food in season for cooking
it. * * * All the prisoners fared alike; officers and sailors received the
same treatment on board of this old hulk. * * * We were all 'rebels.' The
only distinction known among us was made by the prisoners themselves, which
was shown in allowing those who had been officers previous to their captivity,
to congregate in the extreme afterpart of the ship, and to keep it exclusively
to themselves as their place of abode. * * * The prisoners were confined
in the two main decks below. The lowest dungeon was inhabited by those prisoners
who were foreigners, and whose treatment was more severe than that of the
Americans.

"The inhabitants of this lower region were the most
miserable and disgusting looking objects that can be conceived. Daily washing
in salt water, together with their extreme emaciation, caused the skin
to appear like dried parchment. Many of them remained unwashed for weeks;
their hair long, and matted, and filled with vermin; their beards never
cut except occasionally with a pair of shears, which did not improve their
comeliness, though it might add to their comfort. Their clothes were mere
rags, secured to their bodies in every way that ingenuity could devise.

"Many of these men had
been in this lamentable condition for two years, part of the time on board
other prison ships; and having given up all hope of ever being exchanged,
had become resigned to their situation. These men were foreigners whose whole
lives had been one continual scene of toil, hardship, and suffering. Their
feelings were blunted; their dispositions soured; they had no sympathies
for the world; no home to mourn for; no friends to lament for their fate.
But far different was the condition of the most numerous class of prisoners,
composed mostly of young men from New England, fresh from home.

"They
had reason to deplore the sudden change in their condition. * * * The thoughts
of home, of parents, brothers, sisters, and friends, would crowd upon their
minds, and brooding on what they had been, and what they were, their desire
for home became a madness. The dismal and disgusting scene around; the wretched
objects continually in sight; and 'hope deferred which maketh the heart sick',
produced a state of melancholy that often ended in death,--the death of a
broken heart."

Fox describes the food and drink, the prison regulations,
deaths, and burials, just as they were described by Captain Dring, who wrote
the fullest account of the Jersey, and from whose memoirs we shall quote
further on. He says of their shallow graves in the sand of the Wallabout: "This
was the last resting place of many a son and a brother,--young and noble-spirited
men, who had left their happy homes and kind friends to offer their lives
in the service of their country. * * * Poor fellows! They suffered more than
their older companions in misery. They could not endure their hopeless and
wearisome captivity:--to live on from day to day, denied the power of doing
anything; condemned to that most irksome and heart-sickening of all situations,
utter inactivity; their restless and impetuous spirits, like caged lions,
panted to be free, and the conflict was too much for endurance, enfeebled
and worn out as they were with suffering and confinement. * * * The fate
of many of these unhappy victims must have remained forever unknown to their
friends; for in so large a number, no exact account could be kept of those
who died, and they rested in a nameless grave; while those who performed
the last sad rites were hurried away before their task was half completed,
and forbid to express their horror and indignation at this insulting negligence
towards the dead. * * * "

The regular crew of the Jersey consisted of a
Captain, two Mates, a steward, a cook, and about twelve sailors. There was
likewise on board a guard of about thirty soldiers, from the different regiments
quartered on Long Island, who were relieved by a fresh party every week.

"The
physical force of the prisoners was sufficient at any time to take possession
of the ship, but the difficulty was to dispose of themselves after a successful
attempt. Long Island was in possession of the British, and the inhabitants
were favorable to the British cause. To leave the ship and land on the island,
would be followed by almost certain detection; and the miseries of our captivity
would be increased by additional cruelties heaped upon us from the vindictive
feelings of our oppressors.

"Yet, small as was the chance for succeeding
in the undertaking, the attempt to escape was often made, and in not a few
instances with success.

"Our sufferings were so intolerable, that we felt
it to be our duty to expose ourselves to almost any risk to obtain our liberty.
To remain on board of the prison ship seemed to be certain death, and in
its most horrid form; to be killed, while endeavoring to get away, could
be no worse.

"American prisoners are proverbial for their ingenuity
in devising ways and means to accomplish their plans, whether they be devised
for their own comfort and benefit, or for the purpose of annoying and tormenting
their keepers.

"Although we were guarded with vigilance yet there did
not appear much system in the management of the prisoners; for we frequently
missed a whole mess from our number, while their disappearance was not noticed
by our keepers. Occasionally a few would be brought back who had been found
in the woods upon Long Island, and taken up by the Tories.

"Our mess one
day noticed that the mess that occupied the place next to them were among
the missing. This circumstance led to much conjecture and inquiry respecting
the manner in which they had effected their escape. By watching the movements
of our neighbors we soon found out the process necessary to be adopted.

"Any
plan which a mess had formed they kept a secret among their number, in order
to insure a greater prospect of success. * * * For the convenience of the
officers of the ship a closet, called the "round house", had been constructed
under the forecastle, the door of which was kept locked. This room was seldom
used, there being other conveniences in the ship preferable to it.

"Some
of the prisoners had contrived to pick the lock of the door; and as it was
not discovered the door remained unfastened.

"After we had missed our
neighbor prisoners, and had ascertained to our satisfaction their mode of
operation, the members of our mess determined to seize the first opportunity
that offered to attempt our escape. We selected a day, about the 15th of
August, and made all the preparations in our power for ensuring us success
in our undertaking. At sunset, when the usual cry from the officer of the
guard, 'Down, rebels, down!' was heard, instead of following the multitude
down the hatchways, our mess, consisting of six, all Americans, succeeded
in getting into the 'round house', except one. The round house was found
too small to contain more than five; and the sixth man, whose name, I think,
was Putnam of Boston, concealed himself under a large tub, which happened
to be lying near the place of our confinement. The situation of the five,
as closely packed in the round house as we could stand and breathe, was so
uncomfortable as to make us very desirous of vacating it as soon as possible.

"We
remained thus cooped up, hardly daring to breathe, for fear we should be
heard by the guard. The prisoners were all below, and no noise was heard
above, saving the tramp of the guard as he paced the deck. It was customary,
after the prisoners were secured below, for the ship's mate every night to
search above; this, however, was considered a mere formality, and the duty
was very imperfectly executed. While we were anxiously awaiting the completion
of this service, an event transpired, that we little anticipated, and which
led to our detection.

"One of the prisoners, an Irishman, had made his
arrangements to escape the same evening, and had not communicated with any
one on the subject except a countryman of his, whom he persuaded to bury
him up in the coal hole, near the forecastle.

"Whether his friend covered
him faithfully or not, or whether the Irishman thought that if he could not
see anybody, nobody could see him, or whether, feeling uncomfortable in his
position, he turned over to relieve himself, I know not; but when the mate
looked in the coal hole he espied something rather whiter than the coal,
which he soon ascertained to be the Irishman's shoulder. This discovery made
the officer suspicious, and induced him to make a more thorough search than
usual.

"We heard the uproar that followed the discovery, and
the threats of the mate that he would search every damned corner. He soon
arrived at the round house, and we heard him ask a soldier for the key.
Our hopes and expectations were a little raised when we heard the soldier
reply, 'There is no need of searching this place, for the door is kept
constantly locked.'

"But
the mate was not to be diverted from his purpose, and ordered the soldier
to get the key.

"During the absence of the soldier, we had a little
time to reflect upon the dangers of our situation; crowded together in
a space so small as not to admit of motion; with no other protection than
the thickness of a board; guarded on the outside by about twelve soldiers,
armed with cutlasses, and the mate, considerably drunk, with a pistol in
each hand, threatening every moment to fire through;--our feelings may
be more easily conceived than described. There was but little time for
deliberation; something must be immediately done. * * * In a whispered
consultation of some moments, we conceived that the safest course we could
pursue would be to break out with all the violence we could exercise, overcome
every obstacle, and reach the quarter-deck. By this time the soldier had
arrived with the key, and upon applying it, the door was found to be unlocked.
We now heard our last summons from the mate, with imprecations too horrible
to be repeated, and threatening us with instant destruction if we did not
immediately come out.

"To remain
any longer where we were would have been certain death to some of us; we
therefore carried our hastily formed plan into execution. The door opened
outwards, and forming ourselves into a solid body, we burst open the door,
rushed out pellmell, and making a brisk use of our fists, knocked the guard
heels over head in all directions, at the same time running with all possible
speed for the quarter-deck. As I rushed out, being in the rear, I received
a wound from a cutlass on my side, the scar of which remains to this day.

"As
nearly all the guards were prostrated by our unexpected sally, we arrived
at our destined place, without being pursued by anything but curses and threats.

"The
mate exercised his authority to protect us from the rage of the soldiers,
who were in pursuit of us, as soon as they had recovered from the prostration
into which they had been thrown; and, with the assistance of the Captain's
mistress, whom the noise had brought upon deck, and whose sympathy was excited
when she saw we were about to be murdered: she placed herself between us
and the enraged guard, and made such an outcry as to bring the Captain" (Laird) "up,
who ordered the guard to take their station at a little distance and to watch
us narrowly. We were all put in irons, our feet being fastened to a long
bar, a guard placed over us, and in this situation we were left to pass the
night.

"During the time of the transactions related, our fellow
prisoner, Putnam, remained quietly under the tub, and heard the noise from
his hiding place. He was not suffered to remain long in suspense. A soldier
lifted up the tub, and seeing the poor prisoner, thrust his bayonet into
his body, just above his hip, and then drove him to the quarter-deck, to
take his place in irons among us. The blood flowed profusely from his wound,
and he was soon after sent on board the hospital ship, and we never heard
anything respecting him afterwards.

"With disappointed expectations we passed a dreary night.
A cold fog, followed by rain, came on; to which we were exposed, without
any blankets or covering to protect us from the inclemency of the weather.
Our sufferings of mind and body during that horrible night, exceeded any
that I have ever experienced.

"We were chilled almost to death, and the
only way we could preserve heat enough in our bodies to prevent our perishing,
was to lie upon each other by turns.

"Morning at last came, and we were
released from our fetters. Our limbs were so stiff that we could hardly stand.
Our fellow prisoners assisted us below, and wrapping us in blankets, we were
at last restored to a state of comparative comfort.

"For attempting to
escape we were punished by having our miserable allowance reduced one third
in quantity for a month; and we had found the whole of it hardly sufficient
to sustain life. * * *

"One day a boat came alongside containing about
sixty firkins of grease, which they called butter. The prisoners were always
ready to assist in the performance of any labor necessary to be done on board
of the ship, as it afforded some little relief to the tedious monotony of
their lives. On this occasion they were ready to assist in hoisting the butter
on board. The firkins were first deposited upon the deck, and then lowered
down the main hatchway. Some of the prisoners, who were the most officious
in giving their assistance, contrived to secrete a firkin, by rolling it
forward under the forecastle, and afterwards carrying it below in their bedding.

"This
was considered as quite a windfall; and being divided among a few of us,
proved a considerable luxury. It helped to fill up the pores in our mouldy
bread, when the worms were dislodged, and gave to the crumbling particles
a little more consistency.

"Several weeks after our unsuccessful attempt
to escape, another one attended with better success, was made by a number
of the prisoners. At sunset the prisoners were driven below, and the main
hatchway was closed. In this there was a trap-door, large enough for a man
to pass through, and a sentinel was placed over it with orders to permit
one prisoner at a time to come up during the night.

"The plan that had
been formed was this:--one of the prisoners should ascend, and dispose of
the sentinel in such a manner that he should be no obstacle in the way of
those who were to follow.

"Among the soldiers was an Irishman who, in
consequence of having a head of hair remarkable for its curly appearance,
and withal a very crabbed disposition, had been nicknamed 'Billy the Ram'.
He was the sentinel on duty this night, for one was deemed sufficient, as
the prisoners were considered secure when they were below, having no other
place of egress saving the trap-door, over which the sentinel was stationed.

"Late
in the night one of the prisoners, a bold, athletic fellow, ascended upon
deck, and in an artful manner engaged the attention of Billy the Ram, in
conversation respecting the war; lamenting that he had engaged in so unnatural
a contest, expressing his intention of enlisting in the British service,
and requesting Billy's advice respecting the course necessary to be pursued
to obtain the confidence of the officers.

"Billy happened to be in a mood
to take some interest in his views, and showed an inclination, quite uncommon
for him, to prolong the conversation. Unsuspicious of any evil design on
the part of the prisoner, and while leaning carelessly on his gun, Billy
received a tremendous blow from the fist of his entertainer on the back of
his head, which brought him to the deck in a state of insensibility.

"As
soon as he was heard to fall by those below, who were anxiously awaiting
the result of the friendly conversation of their pioneer with Billy, and
were satisfied that the final knock-out argument had been given, they began
to ascend, and, one after another, to jump overboard, to the number of about
thirty.

"The noise aroused the guard, who came upon deck, where
they found Billy not sufficiently recovered from the stunning effects of
the blow he had received to give any account of the transaction. A noise
was heard in the water; but it was so dark that no object could be distinguished.
The attention of the guard, however, was directed to certain spots which
exhibited a luminous appearance, which salt water is known to assume in
the night when it is agitated, and to these appearances they directed their
fire, and getting out the boats, picked out about half the number that
attempted to escape, many of whom were wounded, though not one was killed.
The rest escaped.

"During
the uproar overhead the prisoners below encouraged the fugitives, and expressed
their approbation of their proceedings in three hearty cheers; for which
gratification we suffered our usual punishment--a short allowance of our
already short and miserable fare.

"For about a fortnight after this transaction
it would have been a hazardous experiment to approach near to 'Billy the
Ram', and it was a long time before we ventured to speak to him, and finally
to obtain from him an account of the events of the evening.

"Not long
after this another successful attempt to escape was made, which for its boldness
is perhaps unparalleled in the history of such transactions.

"One pleasant
morning about ten o'clock a boat came alongside, containing a number of gentlemen
from New York, who came for the purpose of gratifying themselves with a sight
of the miserable tenants of the prison-ship, influenced by the same kind
of curiosity that induces some people to travel a great distance to witness
an execution.

"The boat, which was a beautiful yawl, and sat like
a swan upon the water, was manned by four oarsmen, with a man at the helm.
Considerable attention and respect was shown the visitors, the ship's side
being manned when they showed their intention of coming on board, and the
usual naval courtesies extended. The gentlemen were soon on board; and
the crew of the yawl, having secured her to the forechains on the larboard
side of the ship, were permitted to ascend the deck.

"A soldier as usual was pacing with
a slow and measured tread the whole length of the deck, wheeling round with
measured precision, when he arrived at the end of his walk; and whether upon
this occasion, any one interested in his movements had secretly slipped a
guinea into his hand, not to quicken but to retard his progress, was never
known; but it was evident to the prisoners that he had never occupied so
much time before in measuring the distance with his back to the place where
the yawl was fastened.

"At this time there were sitting in the forecastle,
apparently admiring the beautiful appearance of the yawl, four mates and
a captain, who had been brought on board as prisoners a few days previous,
taken in some vessel from a southern port.

"As soon as the sentry had
passed these men, in his straightforward march, they, in a very quiet manner,
lowered themselves down into the yawl, cut the rope, and the four mates taking
in hand the oars, while the captain managed the helm, in less time than I
have taken to describe it, they were under full sweep from the ship. They
plied the oars with such vigor that every stroke they took seemed to take
the boat out of the water. In the meantime the sentry heard nothing and saw
nothing of this transaction, till he had arrived at the end of his march,
when, in wheeling slowly round, he could no longer affect ignorance, or avoid
seeing that the boat was several times its length from the ship. He immediately
fired; but, whether he exercised his best skill as a marksman, or whether
it was on account of the boat's going ahead its whole length at every pull
of the rowers, I could never exactly ascertain, but the ball fell harmlessly
into the water. The report of the gun brought the whole guard out, who blazed
away at the fugitives, without producing any dimunition in the rapidity of
their progress.

"By this time the officers of the ship were on deck
with their visitors; and while all were gazing with astonishment at the
boldness and effrontery of the achievement, the guard were firing as fast
as they could load their guns. When the prisoners gave three cheers to
the yawl's crew, as an expression of their joy at their success, the Captain
ordered all of us to be driven below at the point of the bayonet, and there
we were confined the remainder of the day.

"These five men escaped, greatly to
the mortification of the captain and officers of the prison-ship. After this,
as long as I remained a prisoner, whenever any visitors came on board, all
the prisoners were driven below, where they were obliged to remain till the
company had departed."